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“History and the start of the walk Hunter Valley is a major tourist destination in New South Wales, ranked 6th most visited in Australia and attracting over 2.5 million people each year. It is one of the largest river valleys on the NSW coast and is famous for its wines.
The soil and microclimate of the Hunter Valley provide the perfect conditions for the production of Australia’s finest wines from the oldest vineyards. Farmers travelling from Europe began grape growing nearly 200 years ago. It produces fine white dry wines. Wine connoisseurs come to the harvest festival in February to participate in the grape harvest and watch the process of making and tasting these fine wines.
The Hunter Valley is said to have a Mediterranean climate, but it is more of a subtropical climate with a very strong Pacific influence. It is Australia’s hottest and most humid wine region. The soils here are quite heavy and therefore not always suitable for viticulture. Semillon, a white grape variety known for its use in Bordeaux, is grown on sandy alluvial plains, while red Shiraz is grown on deep, loose loams. The icon of Hunter Valley wines can be said to be the wines of the Semillon variety. In Australia, it has long been called ‘Hunter Valley Riesling’.
The first vines in the valley were planted by James Busby, the ‘father of winemaking’, in 1824, who had studied winemaking in France. He taught the locals how to care for the vineyards and make different types of wine. But it was not the first attempt, as the first vineyards were planted in Sydney in 1791 under the first governor of the colony Arthur Phillip. Seedlings for it were imported from Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope. However, these first steps of viticulture did not lead to the development of wine production.
The first vineyards of industrial importance appeared in Australia on the fertile soil of the Hunter River Valley only in 1830. John and Elizabeth MacArthur, on the other hand, became Australia’s first commercial winemakers. Using grapes from their Sydney plantation at Camden Park (I’ve already told you about this family in the Parramatta walk), they produced wine from their small winery, starting the wine trade in 1827.
Well, that’s just a brief excursion into the history of the region. Now it’s on to the Hunter Valley Gardens. These gardens were acquired by the Roche Group in 1998 and officially opened on 10 October 2003. The 10 differently-themed gardens showcase plants that we often see in gardens and parks in Australia. 50 gardeners worked here for over four years to create these gardens.
The first time we visited these gardens was in 2005. At that time we just admired the gardens and relaxed. This time I was interested in some of the plants that I often see but don’t know the names of.
The Oriental Garden
So, I invite you to take a walk through the Hunter Valley Gardens.
The Oriental Garden is influenced by Japanese and Korean gardens, a place of harmony, balance and tranquillity. Its finest hour is mid-August when azaleas, camellias and magnolias are in bloom. In summer, however, it is a green sea of tranquillity, lotus blooms and the delicate scent of the little Orange Jasmine (Murraya paniculata/Murraya paniculata) flowers. In Sydney, it is frequently found as a hedge.
Orange Jasmine (Murraya paniculata)
We stand in the shade of a gazebo called a two-storey pagoda, walk over a humpback bridge, past a lotus pond and admire the last flowers of Little Gem Magnolia (Magnólia grandiflóra), over a bridge in the shade of willows to a small lake.
Lakes Walk – An inconspicuous path leads to this lake from the church, which is not far away. Another entrance to the gardens, but for wedding ceremonies, which are often held here. The best time for this garden is September-October. It’s wedding time.
As we walk towards the Italian Grotto, we pass four The Brokenback Brumbies, bushes trimmed like horses. They symbolise the four years during which this entire garden park was created.
The Brokenback Brumbies
Italian Grotto – In the grotto is a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment. A beautiful fragrant garden where you can enjoy the aroma as you stroll along the path past a variety of shrubs, citrus and laurel trees, rosemary and olives. The best time for this garden is October to November.
